As a homeowner, you pay insurance premiums to ensure you’ll get financial help with repairs after a natural disaster, accident or other unexpected problem. After paying premiums for years and going through the trouble of filing a claim, you certainly don’t want to discover that your insurance company has refused to pay.
When this happens, it’s important to know you have rights. You may be able to convince your insurer to reverse an initial claim denial and pay what you’re owed, but you may need help from a public adjuster.
Insurance companies add such exclusions and limitations to their homeowner policies in order to limit their liability. They also may motivate their adjusters to minimize payouts in order to cut costs and increase profits.
For example, the typical Florida homeowners policy won’t cover floods from storms, but will cover water damage from most plumbing problems. To cover floods resulting from hurricanes or other storms, Florida residents need flood insurance.
To make the most of your homeowners insurance, you’ll need to work with an agent in advance to get the coverage you need. You also should study your policy well, although many homeowners find the language of these documents confusing and difficult to understand. Insurers may use such jargon to their advantage.
Insurance company adjusters also sometimes make mistakes. You may be able to compare your denial notice to your policy and uncover a simple error or misunderstanding. In these cases, you can challenge the denial with your estimates, photos and descriptions.